Sasha Krotova, 26, holds a sign expressing her opinion of plans to raise tuition at Portland State University. She and Bianetth Valdez, 24, are graduate students in social work. Valdez says her loans will total $100,000 once she graduates and that the average social worker makes $50,000 a year. "So my debt is double my expected income."

On a day of turmoil in the governor's office, students had their bases covered. One side of a demonstrator's sign called for "Gov. Kitz" to restore education funding and the other side referred Kitzhaber's potential successor, Secretary of State Kate Brown.

Stephanie Tierrablanca, a Portland State University senior, uses her smart phone in PSU's bookstore -- but not to calculate her total textbook bill, as might be expected. Instead Tierrablanca, 26, from Santa Ana, Calif., is searching website for prices the shop will match, deducting a further 10 percent. Richard Read/The Oregonian

Customers patronize the Portland State University Book Store, which offers textbooks at 10 percent off prices listed by competitors on the web. College students face textbook prices that have risen more than 800 percent since 1978. Richard Read/The Oregonian

Textbooks line shelves of the Pacific University Bookstore in Forest Grove. The College Board estimates that on average, a student attending a public college spent $1,207 on books and supplies during the 2013-2014 academic year. Kelsey O'Halloran/Forest Grove Leader